Kristine Young

On April 22, environmentally conscious citizens of the world come together to celebrate Earth Day, as a time to act and reflect upon pressing environmental matters affecting the globe.

Many people and organizations work tirelessly throughout the year to support sustainable development, and Earth Day is a day of recognition of our progress and remaining issues to tackle.

“Earth Day has come to signify our societies evolving and growing awareness that natural systems and the natural environment is vitally important for human beings,” said PeterCarrels, the Sierra Club Regional Representative.

Kayla Miller, the president of the SDSU Sierra Club, said the goal of Earth Day is to “appreciate the support that comes from the Earth, realize that humans have negative impacts on the Earth, and work toward alleviating these impacts.”

The SDSU Sierra Club is helping with the Earth Day Fair that Dakota Rural Action is sponsoring on April 17 from 10 a.m. to 3p.m. at the 5th Street Gym, Miller said.

Educational and active events for children, gardening and “urban’ farmer demonstrations, booths by area business and groups, as well as food booths will be the highlights of the fair, she said.

The evening of Earth Day, the Sierra Club will be attending “Evening of Green”, a banquet put on by DRA, where they will enjoy a locally produced meal and hear a presentation from a local farmer.

Miller said that when students are considering what they can do to help the earth, they should go back to the “reduce, reuse, recycle” motto. Ways to achieve this include using less electricity, gas or “using less stuff overall.”

When it comes to reusing, students should always look at whether an item can be used for something else, Miller said.

Donating items such as books, clothing, recycling your own trash and if possible, starting a compost pile out of organic wastes are some ideas Miller suggested to reduce stress on the planet.

Carrels said he thinks SDSU has no shortage of effort to make its campus “greener”, but still has a long way to go.

He said one major change he would like to see on campus to would be an alternative to the coal plant on campus.

Ben Langsten, a sophomore community assistant in Caldwell Hall, agrees that SDSU still has a long way to go to become “green” and takes matters into his own hands to make a difference.

Langsten said he always tries to recycle whenever possible, and is conscious of how much he prints. He also said he always provides recycling bins on his floor so his residents always have the opportunity to recycle.